In what distant deeps or skies
by italy8868
Summary: After season two, what will happen with Jane and Red John? Jisbon story. That's it...basically.
1. Chapter 1

Set after the last episode in season two, because I needed something to tie me over ;)

Last episode, short summary: there's a Red John copy cat, Jane investigates on his own, gets tied up to a chair, and then RJ arrives at the scene, kills the kids who were copying him, talks to Jane, and recites him the beginning of a poem: tiger, tiger, burning bright… (by William Blake). Then we see, two days later, Jane's back safe and sound at the office… You might actually recognize the first few lines… ;) for those of you who don't, you can find it on youtube ;)

Spoilers: everything between the first episode and the last one (of season 2).

Special thanks to NsCvIuS who beta-read my story! All remaining mistakes are mine...

This is my first fanfic, so tell me what you think... please...

Disclaimer : I don't own them either, just like anybody else who has to write fanfictions instead of an actual script... and don't get any money out of it, just a lot of fun!

Enjoy!

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Lisbon entered the CBI office and spotted Jane, sitting on the couch with a book on his lap, looking off into space.

"You ok?"

"Yeah, I'm fine."

"You're sure he said nothing? Nothing at all?"

"Nothing."

She continued to her office, leaving Jane alone with his thoughts. She could tell he wasn't alright, but there was nothing she could do, and it was starting to drive her crazy as well. She could still see him through the blinds in her office. She had to find something. It shouldn't be that hard to catch a serial killer, especially since Jane is on her team. She feels so helpless; the one murderer that matters—the only one with a personal significance—keeps slipping through their fingers. She knows how hard it must have been for Patrick Jane, tied to a chair, mere inches from Red John, the man he has been pursuing for years, and not be able to do anything. It must have been really hard on him, but she's so grateful that nothing happened to Jane. Red John could have killed him, and knowing Jane, she knows how mad people can get with his arrogant remarks. But if what he told her is true, neither one of them spoke a word. She finds it hard to believe, but then again, you can't predict a psychopath's actions, nor Jane's when he comes face to face with the man who killed his family.

She had to find a way, set up a trap for Red John, do something, anything. The thought didn't leave her mind all day, hadn't left her since two days ago, when she heard what had happened.

She took all the Red John files from the office and went home. She made sure Jane didn't see them, she didn't want to get his hopes up and then let him down. She really had to find something.

Later that evening, Teresa Lisbon sat cross-legged on her couch, photos in her lap. She was looking at the smiling face drawn on Jane's bedroom wall and her eyes filled with unshed tears. How could anyone do such a horrible thing? God, she couldn't even begin to understand the pain he felt and the guilt he must still be feeling. She knew it wasn't his fault, he could not have known what was going to happen—it was Red John who committed the crime. But knowing Jane, he would feel guilty about it. She probably would too, if she were in the same situation. She took another sip of her wine and noticed that the bottle on her table was almost empty. When she looked at the photographs again, it dawned on her. She knew what she had to do. She couldn't believe she hadn't seen it earlier. She sat up, put her glass on the table, put everything back in the files, grabbed her phone and dialed a familiar number. Not waiting for the person on the other end to respond before leaving, she grabbed her keys and practically ran out to her car.

"Hello?" Said Jane, answering his phone.

"Jane, it's me, Lisbon. I need to talk to you." she responded, getting in her car.

"Why, did something happen? You sound strange…" Jane asked her while sitting up.

"Yeah, I know, look, everything is fine, but I really need to talk to you. I can't tell you on the phone. Can we meet somewhere?"

"Sure, hmm, I'm still at the office, but I can come to you, if you want?"

"No, I'm already on the way, but I can't talk at the office. Can I pick you up there? I'll be there in five minutes."

"Ok, alright. You sure everything is fine?" He asked again, still unsure about what was going on.

"Positive. I'll see you in five." was all she said before hanging up and accelerating.

As she hung up, Jane furrowed his eyebrows. She really sounded strange; it wasn't like her to lose her calm. She sounded excited, afraid and eager to tell him something at the same time. He grabbed his jacket and left the office. He went down and waited in front of the building. It was raining harder now, so he waited under the porch.

When he saw her car enter the parking lot, he put his vest over his head and ran to her. She had already opened the door for him, and the look on her face was different. He had never seen her that way. Her eyes looked sad and happy, calm and overexcited; he couldn't have a clear read on her emotions. As soon as he closed the door, she started to drive away. He actually was scared of what was going on.

"Lisbon?" he called, looking at her with a worried expression.

"Do you know a place we can talk?" was her only answer, eyes focusing on the road ahead.

"There's a bar downtown that…" he started before she cut him off.

"No, somewhere private, alone." she said, still not looking at him.

"Hmm, a few miles from here, on the outskirts of the city. It's a very nice spot and I've never seen anybody there. I go there sometimes to think. Just drive, I'll tell you when to turn." he told her.

They drove in silence for the next few minutes. Jane's eyes never left her face, he was trying to understand what was happening, to find out what she was thinking, but he just couldn't. Usually, she was obvious, but when something serious was on her mind, he never could get through. She was the only one he couldn't always read.

He guided her to his spot, a small grassed patch behind trees. It seemed cut off of the rest of the world. In front of them was the cliff, above the sea, behind, a thick curtain of trees, and above, the night sky, full of stars. It was one of the rare places you could see them, because the light of the city didn't reach that far out. Lisbon parked the car and pulled the key out of the ignition.

"Here we are. So, care to tell me what's bothering you so much?" he said, shifting his body to face her completely.

"Jane… Patrick. I know what Red John did to you, and the fact that we can't catch him just makes me as crazy as you. I saw it in your eyes that day, that you would kill him as soon as you found him. And frankly, I'm starting to think that I would too, no matter the consequences. I just couldn't figure out how to catch him." she said, finally meeting his eyes for the first time since she picked him up.

"What's changed?"

"Now, I know what I have to do, but I need your help…" she told him in a confident voice.

"I would do everything to get him, you know that, right? So, what's the problem? What do you have in mind?"

Jane looked increasingly worried. Why did she come here to tell him? Something didn't feel right, but he couldn't put his finger on it. Not yet.

"Red John could have killed you, but he didn't. When you want revenge, you usually target the person who hurt you. Not someone else. But he did. Because he knew it would be worse than death to live with it, live with the guilt, the knowledge it should have been you, and that because of you, people you loved are dead. He won't come after you, just the people close to you." she explained, her eyes getting watery again.

"I know... But why are you telling me that?" he asked, lost once again.

"Because I think the only way to lure him out is to get him to target someone you love." she told him, looking straight in his eyes.

"I don't understand…"

He looked completely lost, but she… she looked so…calm.

"We need bait. If I pose as your wife and you just pretend to be happy again—then pull off a stunt like last time—he could try to kill me, and then we would have him. But I know this would be difficult for you, going through that ordeal again, posing as a happy husband, as if nothing happened, and…"

She was cut off by his sharp response:

"No." he said matter-of-factly.

"What?" Teresa asked, confused by his reaction.

"I can't do this. Not because I would be going through it again, I'm living through it every night, and there isn't a day when I don't think about it. But it would put you in incredible danger. I won't risk your life for my revenge, Lisbon." he stated.

Even though he tried to maintain a calm voice, she could hear how angry he was under the surface. It almost scared her, she never had seen his anger directed towards her. Still, he tried to look calm and composed. He turned his face away from her and his gaze wandered over the landscape. Lisbon couldn't understand why he refused her offer, it was the only thing she could think of, and it made perfect sense. She was starting to get angry herself, angry at him, and angry at the situation.

"I'm not asking you to. I will be the one risking it. And anyway, we would be prepared this time, I would be on alert 24/7! I dedicated my life to good, to catching the bad guys. I can't let him get away with what he did!" she said, raising her voice.

"Teresa, it's just too dangerous. And what if things don't go as planned? What if he saw through it, and instead of attacking you, he killed Van Pelt? Just to prove that nobody can play him! Did you think about that?" he said, raising his voice as well.

They stared at each other and they could see the desperation, the hurt, and the anger in the other's eyes.

"We can find a way to make this work! You know him, and you could find a way to push him to make a mistake! It's the only way." she almost begged.

"No! If we did it, and made the slightest mistake, you'd be dead!"

"But you would have Red John…" she said, remembering how he looked, sitting in the dark of that cellar after they saved that poor girl.

He recognized the words and could hear the same determination in her voice he had had the day he said the exact same thing to her—the day he killed the only link he had to Red John in order to save her life. Why would she think he'd risk it now?

"I don't think you mean what you say." he said before realizing she had told him the same thing.

"Why not? Didn't you?" she asked, calmer now.

"No, I did! But you shouldn't. We'll find another way, someday…"

"Jane, I have thought this through. Please, let me help. It's my duty, but not only that. I care about you, and I don't want you to go through this alone. I can help! Please, please think about it, ok?" she begged again, trying to get through to him.

She looked like she was about to cry and he was overwhelmed by the feelings surging in him. He couldn't say a thing, so he just looked out of the window. She knew that this conversation was over, so she put the key back and turned the ignition. She went back on the road without saying a word. He just whispered her to drop him off at CBI before falling silent for the rest of the trip. She arrived on the parking lot and didn't even kill the engine, she would drive away as soon as he got out. He opened the door, stepped out in the pouring rain, not bothering to cover his head like he had done earlier that evening. He cast her a final look as he closed the door, and walked over to his car. He had to do something, he knew he wouldn't sleep anymore tonight, so he decided that driving around was just as good as anything else. As he reached his Citroen, he looked behind him and saw her leave. He stood there in the rain for a moment before getting in and driving away. He never saw the tears rolling down her cheeks...


	2. Chapter 2

**I'm sorry it took so long, but RL takes all my time away from me grrr. I'll try to update a bit faster in the future... I still don't own anything. Might be a little OOC, but it wouldn't be if I owned them ;)**

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They both were trapped in their thoughts about it for the rest of the night-neither of them understood what had just happened, and neither were able to sleep. As Lisbon arrived at the office in the morning, she expected to see him there, as calm as ever, pretending nothing had happened. But he wasn't there. His car wasn't in the parking lot, and Jane was nowhere to be found. Grace tried to reach him on his cell when they got a new case, but he didn't answer. They were all starting to get worried, but Agent Lisbon told them not to, that he probably just wanted a day off, and that he would never follow the rules and ask for it before actually taking it. But she was worried sick herself, worried he had done something horrible to himself and it would be her fault. He looked so depressed when she had left him in the parking lot last night. Every time the others weren't looking, she tried his cell again, left him messages, but he never answered. At the end of the day, she didn't know what else she could do, so she just headed home.

As she reached her apartment door, she saw that somebody had picked the lock. She silently drew her weapon and entered. Somebody was lying on her couch and her weapon was on him in an instant. But she didn't even need a second to recognize his form, his even breathing, his cup of tea on the coffee table. She put her weapon back in the holster and closed the door behind her. She walked to her couch and looked at him for a moment. He looked so peaceful. She didn't want to wake him, she knew how little sleep he got, but as she took the blanket out of her armchair to cover him up, he opened his eyes and looked at her, a small smile appearing on his lips.

"Hi." he said in a small voice.

"Hi yourself. How are you? I was worried when I didn't see you at CBI today." she answered, worry evident in her eyes.

"Yeah, sorry for that. I guess I just needed some time to think about this all." he replied, casting his glance downwards.

Jane sat up, and Lisbon took place beside him on the couch. She took off her holster and placed her gun on the table in front of her, next to his tea cup. She was the one to break the silence.

"Look, about what I said to you, I'm very sorry. I shouldn't have brought it up." she explained, obviously thinking about how stupid she had been.

"No, it is I who am sorry. I shouldn't have reacted that way. I know all you want to do is help me, and I really appreciate it. I guess I just wasn't ready to hear that. I wanted to find a way to get Red John, but I didn't consider that there are other people I care about now. When my wife and daughter died, I had nobody left, no one I cared about, not even myself. But today, things have changed. I just didn't realize it, didn't want to. But you made it clear that Red John could still reach me if he wanted to. I couldn't bear it if he hurt one of you." he told her, the reality of it finally sinking in as he said it out loud.

"He won't hurt us. And after all, we're cops. We can take care of our own. But he is dangerous, and I shouldn't have acted like he wasn't. Although…I still think it could work. But if you don't want to, I won't go through with it. And I won't bring the subject up anymore; I don't want to lose our friendship over this." she said, a small smile coming back to her lips.

"Neither do I." he responded, a similar smile lighting up his features.

They looked in each others eyes, their gazes locked for what seemed like hours -in reality only a few seconds- but in those seconds, they both revealed their feelings, no armor, no self-made shield, no walls between them. Even Jane, who was always hiding behind his childish façade didn't try to hide anything, for the first time since they met. Their faces started closing in on each other, their bodies almost touching, and their eyes never breaking contact. Lisbon could feel his warm breath on her lips, the outside world was dead silent, she felt her entire body lean towards him without being able to stop herself, for she was no longer in control of her actions. And neither was he. His only thought was to kiss her, he wanted her, wanted to feel her full lips on his and wanted to feel her warm and soft skin under his fingertips. He arched his body towards her, and was just about to close the distance between them when her phone rang. They both looked down, and after the first shock, their bodies parted slightly, Lisbon casted a weird look to Jane and grabbed her phone as she stood up, thereby putting some distance between them.

"Lisbon." she answered, trying to regain control of her voice.

"Nothing to worry about, Cho. He's fine, he's with me." She replied after listening to what the caller had to say.

"...Yes. See you tomorrow, bye."

As she hung up, she turned around to look at him. There was a weird tension between them, she didn't know whether she should throw herself at him and kiss him senseless, or just pretend like nothing had happened. Jane sensed her hesitation in less than a heartbeat and made the decision for her.

"Do you want some tea?" he asked her, completely back to his normal self.

He didn't wait for her answer as he stood up, taking his cup on the coffee table and heading to the kitchen. She heard him rummaging around, and went after him. What she saw made her smile. He looked as if he was home, as if he knew were she stored everything. He had already turned on the stove and put the kettle on and was currently taking out her favorite mug from the cupboard above his head, placed it on the counter and went to the other side of the kitchen, where she kept her coffee, only to retrieve two teabags.

"Wait a minute! I don't have any tea!" she exclaimed, confused.

"Well, you do now. You should lay off the caffeine. I bought you different tea flavors, so you can choose which one you prefer. I think you'll like this one better though!" he told her, still busy preparing the tea.

"If you say so, it's probably true. Make yourself at home, I'm gonna get changed and put on something more comfortable." she said as she turned to leave. As her eyes stopped on her front door, she added:

"And I should just give you a key so you can let yourself in next time, you're lucky I didn't shoot you…"she said, walking through the living room, towards her bedroom door. She went inside, but left the door ajar. With anybody else, she would have closed it, but somehow, with Jane, she felt safe. She trusted him. And she hoped he trusted her. When Patrick came back with the two steaming mugs, he heard her in her room. He closed his eyes and listened to the sounds coming from the other room. He could see her in front of his mind's eye, how she was removing her tight white t-shirt, pulling it over her head. Then she tossed her shoes aside, followed by her jeans. As much as he wanted to continue his daydream, he heard her getting dressed again. He opened his eyes before she got back inside, and concentrated on the two mugs in front of him.

"You know Lisbon, when I came here earlier, I just wanted to prove my point, show you that your plan was far too dangerous, that you weren't safe enough, not even in your own apartment. I was sure you had a spare key under the rug. I have to admit I was really surprised when there was none! I still wanted to prove my point though. So I turned over every rock and plant in front of your apartment to find the key. Still didn't find any. So I picked the lock to get in, just to be able to tell you "See! Anyone can get in here!" Only thing was that once inside, I saw how wrong I was. I mean, if I could be wrong about a spare key, I could be wrong about so many other things…and I kept thinking about it till you got here." he admitted.

"Well, I'm happy you considered the possibility of being wrong…but… I have to admit that I usually keep a spare key under the rug. When I called you last night, I was so eager to tell you what I had in mind that I grabbed my car keys but left the apartment keys here. So when I came back, I had to use the spare, and I guess I forgot to put it back. Thanks for reminding me…"

They both looked at each other and started laughing good-heartedly. Teresa took the mug that sat in front of her and took a sip. He turned his head towards her and looked at her, clad in a form-fitting white tank top and light purple silk pajama pants. He studied her for a few seconds before starting to speak.

"It's late. I should get going."

"Why? Where are you going? I never went to your house, but I can see that whenever you go home at night, you don't get much sleep, do you? And going back to CBI to sleep on the couch doesn't seem such a great idea to me either…" she said, worried about him once again.

"I know. You're right. But I already entered without permission, I'm not going to impose myself further." he said in an attempt to be funny.

"You're not. I'm asking you. Please stay…" she said, in the sweetest voice he ever heard.

He looked her straight in the eyes, and when their gazes met, he could feel the same pull he had felt earlier, right before her phone rang. She looked so beautiful to him, out of her working clothes, almost vulnerable.

He decided to sit back down next to her, but he had to break this spell before he did something they would both regret in the morning, so he casted his glance downwards and spoke up.

"You know, there are a lot of things you don't know about me, about my past. And after what happened yesterday, I just want you to know everything, to explain who I really am. I never told anybody." he said, almost ashamed of himself.

"You don't have to. I trust you, Patrick. And I don't need to know everything. You don't need to justify yourself or explain anything. I understand that." she said in a low and understanding voice.

"I know, but I want to. Unless you don't want me to. I know you try to keep work relations and private life apart…" he said, hoping that it actually wasn't true.

"I have considered you more than just a colleague for quite some time now. You're a friend, and a really good one. I don't want you to feel pressured. I want to make you feel good. As a matter of fact, you're staying here tonight, so take off your shoes and socks, your jacket… just get comfortable!" she said, trying to lighten up the whole situation.

She had a joyful tone and a radiant smile on her lips, and he couldn't help but smile in response. He did as he was told, got rid of his shoes and socks, removed his jacket and waistcoat, got up and went to put them on a chair. On his way back, as he faced her, he started unbuttoning his white collar shirt. Her smile faded and her eyes glazed over with a now serious look. She was staring at his hands, the mug in hers totally forgotten. As her lips parted slightly, Jane couldn't suppress a soft chuckle. The sound pulled her out of her reverie. She lifted her head, feeling the blush rising to her cheeks and casting her glance downwards trying to suppress a nervous smile. He was looking at her with a cocky grin.

"See something you like?" he asked her in a playful tone.

"Why? Don't you?" she responded bluntly.

She'd only had a split second to think about a reply, she didn't want to give him the satisfaction of her admitting it, so she stuck to the rule that said "the best defense is a good offense". While giving him her reply, she'd leaned back against the couch and stretched her arms out, giving him a full view of her cleavage. As his eyes left hers and traveled down her body, she heard him hold his breath. She always knew that men in general were attracted by her body, she noticed their eyes following her when she left a room and she saw how some men looked at her when she entered a room too. Sometimes, it pissed her off, after all she was a cop and she had work to do. But outside of her office, it made her feel like a woman. It was hard to explain, but having a job surrounded by men wasn't easy. She had had to renounce to a lot of thinks to be able to work normally: no skirts on the job, as little make-up as possible, basically, trying to be "one of the guys". She had accepted it, and she wasn't that type of girl anyway, but it made her feel good to see that she still was an attractive woman. So yes, she knew how _men_ responded to her, but _Jane_? She never would have thought she could have that effect on _him_!

The corners of her mouth rose upwards, she was going to make him just as uncomfortable as he had tried to make her a second earlier.

He just needed a second to understand what she had just done. His eyes left her torso and a smile crept to his lips.

"Good move agent Lisbon, very good. You got me this time, but don't get used to it." he said with an assurance in his voice he wasn't sure he was feeling.

"Well, maybe _you_ should…!" she retorted, not letting him of the hook that easily.

Their playful banter was back, the mood much lighter than a few minutes ago. He sat down on her couch again, and after a little chit-chatting, they settled down and turned the TV on. It wasn't long though until Teresa closed her eyes, the fatigue from the day and the night before catching up with her. Jane felt it, rather than saw it, and tried to make her comfortable on the couch. He didn't leave though; he knew that if he moved too much, she would wake up. She finally settled in his arms unconsciously and continued to sleep. He decided to keep her like that for a moment, until she was fast asleep, and then he would move her to her bed. Sleeping both on the couch would be hell to pay in the morning. He was ready to exchange a night with her in his arms against all the back pain in the morning, but she really didn't need it. He turned off the TV, settled against the couch himself and held her tight. She was snuggled up on his chest, her hand over his heart. He lowered his head on hers almost naturally and closed his eyes for just a moment, breathing in her scent, the scent of her shampoo, circling her back with his fingers, light as a feather, not to wake her. When her breathing became more even, he knew she was fast asleep, but he indulged in this position for just a second more. Then, he tightened his grip around her, careful not to disturb her, lifted her up in his arms, and carried her to bed.

He lowered her on the mattress, careful not to move to fast. He grabbed her blankets and pulled them over her. She was still sleeping, had settled in her bed, and he was about to turn away and get back to the couch when he felt her hand on his arm. He turned to look at her, saw her sleepy eyes on him, trying not to fall back asleep.

"Stay…" she whispered in a faint voice, pleading silently with her eyes.

"I'll be on the couch; I'm not going anywhere" he whispered back, not moving an inch, hypnotized by her.

"No, here, bed…" was all she managed to say before closing her eyes again.

He knew he shouldn't, he knew she didn't have the energy to fight him if he went back to the living-room. But he also knew he wanted to stay. And this might be the only time she asked for it, so he selfishly decided to stay. He got out of his trousers and put them on a chair in the corner, before crawling under the sheets with her. He still paid attention not to lie to close to her, after all, she probably just didn't want him to sleep on her cold couch, and he wanted to leave her her personal space. But as soon as he settled down, she rolled over to him and put her head back on his chest; his arm went around her, her hand on his heart. It seemed normal, almost too much so. He just wanted to relax and relish in the moment, not thinking that he would be able to sleep. He hardly ever was anyway. He closed his eyes, and before he knew it, he fell in a deep slumber.


	3. Chapter 3

As Patrick Jane opened his eyes again, he was alone in a room that was not his. The spot Lisbon had occupied only hours before was now empty and cold. He got up, put his trousers back on and headed to her living-room. She sat on her couch, files strewn over her coffee table, a steaming coffee mug in her hands. As she heard him enter, she turned her head to him with what he thought was the most beautiful smile on her lips.

"Good morning! Did you sleep well?" she asked, before taking a sip of her coffee.

"Good morning. God, how late is it? I didn't even wake up once…" he stated, stunned by the fact and still sleepy eyed.

"When I woke up, I saw you sleep and didn't want to wake you, so I called in and told them we would be late today." she just explained, looking at him with a warm and curious expression.

"What? Why? You could have woken me up, I know how important work is to you, and I don't want to create any problems." he answered, confused by her behavior.

"Well, I could use a morning off myself! It's only 10, we can get back to the office at 1pm. Cho'll manage! And after all, I have to fill you in on the new case!" She was all business again, their private conversation seemingly forgotten and the fact he slept over not even awkward.

"Yeah, right, the new case…" He tried hard to stop thinking about the fact that his boss was sitting in front of him in her pajamas, and tried to focus on work instead.

"You look like you could use some coffee." she stated, amused by the fact.

She was smiling to herself, wondering if he really never drank any coffee. Tea is supposed to help you sleep, but he never did anyway, so how come he always looked so good? 'He probably drinks some when nobody's looking, to preserve his image!' she thought. He looked at her with a questioning look, took his shirt and put it back on before heading to her kitchen. His face told her he knew what she was thinking, but he didn't argue because _her_ face told _him_ it wouldn't bring anything. He made himself some tea, grabbed a slice of toast, and went back to the living room.

"So, what's the case about?" he inquired while sitting down next to her.

"A jogger found a body near the river, washed up by the current. He called the cops, they called us; said they had enough work for the moment. Since we don't, we took over the crime scene. Everything was processed yesterday, Van Pelt is running a background check on the victim as we speak, Cho and Rigsby went in search of relatives to break the news and see if they know anything. Victim's name was Robert Swanson, 41, bank employee. Coroner said he had been dead for at least a week before his body got washed up." she summarized from her notes.

"That's it?" he asked, pleasantly surprised he hadn't missed much.

"For now, we'll see what the background check tells us" she said, putting her notes back in the file.

"Ok then, if you don't mind I would like to use your bathroom to take a quick shower" he said, more like a question than an affirmation.

"Sure, as I said, make yourself at home." she said, that smile he particularly liked irradiating her features.

"Fine then." He sat his mug down, got up, and went to the door.

"Jane? The bathroom is the other way, through the bedroom." she informed him, wondering what he was up to.

"I know. I'm going to my car first. I have spare clothes in the trunk, in case I sleep on a couch somewhere and need a quick shower in the morning…" he explained, thinking about what she told him the night before about sleeping on the office couch.

"I see, using tax-payers' money to get a free shower at CBI, eh?" she said jokingly.

"Yeah, but you wouldn't want a smelly co-worker now, would you?" he retorted just as playfully.

"Just go to your car." she said in her 'exasperated-boss' tone, smile still in place.

As he turned around to leave, she called him back.

"Wait! Take the spare out of the front pocket of my jacket next to the door and close the door behind you. I'll hit the shower while you're gone; I'll be finished when you come back." She was already in her bathroom as she finished her sentence. Jane smiled and shouted to her:

"No need to hurry, take your time Lisbon."

He wasn't sure she had heard him because the water was already running. He just smiled, took the key and left her apartment. He walked a bit further down the street because his car was parked around the corner. He hadn't wanted Lisbon to see it before she entered her apartment; it would have spoiled his 'surprise'. He wandered rather than walked to it, lost in his thoughts. It probably took him around 15 minutes to get back inside and Lisbon was already dressed, ready to go. The only thing that betrayed the fact she had been in the shower just an instant earlier was her still damp hair which she was in the process of drying with her towel.

"Where have you been?" she asked, stopping what she was doing to look at him. He just smiled and went past her to the bathroom. She shook her head and resumed her task. A couple of minutes later, he came out of her bedroom, looking as neat as ever, his hair almost dry but not quite.

"Well, I'm ready. We can go whenever you are." he informed her.

"Alright then, let's go." she said, cut off by the ringing of her phone.

"Lisbon" was her short reply as she answered.

"I'll pick them up on my way. I'll be at the office in an hour tops." She responded and then hung up. She turned to Jane.

"You can go directly to the office; I have to pick up some files at the local police station on my way. Won't take long though."

"Ok, you're the boss. Oh, by the way I almost forgot; your spare key" he said, holding up the said key between them.

"What do you want me to do with it? I can't really put it under the rug, can I? It would be too easy to break in!" She told him with a sarcastic voice but a smile on her lips. "But I tell you what: you keep it, and if ever I actually need it, I'm gonna call you and you'll have to come over just to open the door to me. How does that sound? Is Mr. Patrick Jane alright with those safety measures?" she added, a smile still plastered on her face.

"Mr. Patrick Jane is very happy with those safety measures. And Mr. Patrick Jane doesn't mind traveling half way across the city just to open a door for a damsel in distress." He said with a serious face. Lisbon couldn't help her smile from growing, and before long she broke out in laughter. He was quick to follow, although he kept a caring and loving look in his eyes.

The day at work was completely normal and everything went without a glitch. Lisbon had feared that sharing some 'personal' time with her consultant might have made it awkward, but instead he seemed even less annoying. The week went by as usual, Jane having taken his place on the CBI couch back. None of her team members would ever guess that Patrick Jane had spent a night with their boss. Well, only sleeping of course. Nothing really important. But if it wasn't important, how come she missed him? She was sitting on her couch, staring at her TV without really watching. She was thinking about him, again. How she wanted him to sit next to her, to hold her like he had done that evening, feeling his fingers gently stroking her back. She felt so alone. She hadn't felt that alone in years, but one evening with Jane and it all came back. She just really missed his presence near her. Little did she know that lying on his couch at CBI, Patrick Jane was thinking the exact same thing about her.


End file.
